Breaking Bonds
by Bob Pharrot
Summary: Sakura is going to finish things and it doesn't matter what Kakashi thinks, she is going to succeed
1. Chapter 1

Just something that popped into mind. I was furious when Kakashi put down Sakura's skills, she's not my favorite kunoichi but she doesn't deserve to be put down by a man who never taught her anything anyway

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She was grinding her teeth as she ran towards her goal. How dare he? How DARE he? Hadn't she trained just as hard, for just as long as Naruto? Wasn't she an acknowledged prodigy in her field? And when was the last time he had really seen her in action? How often had he just patted her head and ignored her? How often was she pushed behind one of them and later told that it was for her own protection. Ha! Protection, where were they in those three years? Where were they when she went on her first solo mission? Where were they? Who was Kakashi to judge her skills when he never really saw her? He wasn't her teacher, never mind that she addressed him as such. The only thing he ever taught her was that it was possible to use charka to walk on trees.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw a tantrum and make them acknowledge her, make them realize that she was their equal, that she didn't need them to protect her, that she was strong damn it! She wasn't the idiot fangirl she used to be and she was so tired, so tired of them continually putting her down, ignoring her.

She knew that it had been wrong of her to try to manipulate Naruto by pretending to confess love to him but she was so sick of feeling guilty that Naruto was still chasing after the traitor, furious that He was still out there- taunting them and mocking their team, wanting to destroy Naruto's dream. She hated him for that. She may not love Naruto in the romantic sense, but even as a delusional genin she had never wanted to destroy his dream and she wasn't going to let anyone else destroy that dream. She hated Him for helping to hurt Tsunade, the woman who was more of a mother to her than her real one ever was. She hated Him for being another continual reminder of how weak she used to be, how weak she refused to let herself be anymore. She hated Him for being stupid enough to listen to Madara.

This was the only thing that could be done. Even if Madara died, He would not stop so she had to stop Him.

Naruto would not forgive her, or Shikamaru perhaps, but if it meant that Konoha would survive and Naruto would be Hokage she could live with that.

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Review and tell me what you think


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't intend to continue this but here you go, Naruto and Kakashi's thoughts as they race to catch up with Sakura, unbetad

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Chapter Two: Racing Against Time

It was too quiet. Kakashi felt on edge as he and Naruto rushed through the trees, desperately seeking after their female teammate. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but think of all that could happen to the little rose haired girl. She shouldn't have left without them. Why hadn't she just stayed in Konoha where she could be safe? It was their job to do this. Sasuke was his failure. He was Naruto's best friend and Sakura was too valuable to risk in this venture. With Tsunade out of commission, the petite kunoichi was the best healer in the village and with Madara threatening its existence, a healer of her capabilities was just too important to risk in a field mission, especially one that she just wouldn't be able to handle.

Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't she understand?

The silence was getting to both of them as they raced against time. What was Sasuke doing to her? Could she last long enough for them to get to her?

Similar thoughts ran through Naruto's head as he jumped from branch to branch. It hurt a little that Sakura would lie to herself, would lie to him, about her feelings but she was Sakura, she was his sister so he would forgive her. But he couldn't forgive her if the teme killed her.

The jinchuuriku almost stumbled at the thought and pushed more charka into his legs to make up for the momentary lapse. He wouldn't kill her, he just couldn't. She was _Sakura_. Teme couldn't do that to her.

But it was too quiet, too still. With how close they were there should have been some sign of battle-noise, flares of chakra, _something_! And Naruto couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the little niggling thought in the back of his head, the one that insisted that he _could_ and he would, might be right.

He started to run faster.

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Yeah, might be more sometime, I dunno, go check out my sister's stuff


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it's been so long! I don't own Naruto

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They had been prepared for many things. Naruto had been prepared for the sight of the sister of his heart beaten and almost broken, but alive. He had been prepared to see his soul's brother standing over her, gloating, but leaving her alive. For all that Sasuke claimed he had broken his bonds with the village, the jinchuuriki couldn't find it in himself to believe that Sasuke would kill the girl he once protected.

Kakashi had been prepared a little more thoroughly. He had been prepared to see the broken, fragile body of Haruno Sakura, been prepared to see yet another person he cared for dead. He had been prepared to see the still Sakura with Sasuke standing over her, gloating perhaps while waiting, using the fragile little girl as bait. He had been prepared to take Sasuke down, to finally kill the boy who had once been his student. He was prepared to take the boy down and to rub in his face the consequences of his actions, to make the boy suffer for the atrocity of killing a teammate before ending him.

But as they burst into the clearing, there was only one body. It was surrounded by huge, gaping holes in the earth. Trees had been uprooted. Ash still fell through the air and scorch marks from lightning and fire peppered the torn up earth and the fallen trees. Black fire danced along the edges of the clearing.

And there, in the center of it, lay the body of Uchiha Sasuke. The greatest traitor of Konoha since Orochimaru, lay dead.

The two men were stunned for a bit as they stared at the corpse that had once been the person who had meant so much to them.

It was Naruto who first broke out of the stupor. It his typical fashion, he pushed aside what was upsetting him in favor of another concern.

"SAKURA!" Naruto shouted, "SAKURA!"

But there was no trace of the pink haired ninja to be seen.

Naruto searched all over the clearing, desperately looking for anything that could tell him where his teammate had disappeared to. It was his frantic calling and his desperate searching that finally knocked Kakashi out of his stupor. But rather than immediately assisting his blonde student, Kakashi went to the body of the dark haired boy who he had once trained with one thought on his mind. The secrets of the sharingan must be preserved. Sasuke was dead and in his death he could serve to help Konoha against the ancient enemy. In death, Sasuke could reveal the secrets of the sharingan and perhaps reveal a weakness they could use against Madara.

But as he stood over the body of the youngest living Uchiha, Kakashi saw that someone had beaten him to one of the tasks. Sasuke eyes were missing and, as Kakashi looked over the body, he could see that other parts were missing as well. There was no obvious sign of death, but then, whoever killed Sasuke didn't have to leave an obvious sign. In his heart the older ninja couldn't bring himself to contemplate the idea that Sakura, sweet, fiery, delicate little Sakura, the girl with the soft hands and softer heart, could have killed the boy she loved. Someone else must have interfered, someone else had to have interfered. Anything else could not be believed.

The only loyal living wielder of the sharingan mentally catalogued the injuries and then did the only thing that he could. He cut off his former students head to seal it away and then tossed the body into the wicked black flames. He tried not to think about the horrific stench as the body was quickly charred to ash.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto squawked, "Why did you do that?"

"To help Konoha Naruto," Kakashi said wearily, "I'll explain later. Did you find any trace of Sakura?"

"She's gone," Naruto said, "I couldn't find anything."

His blue eyed gaze was drawn to the black flames that had consumed one teammate and horror widened them.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, the fire," Naruto gulped, "You don't think that Sakura-chan, that, that teme could have used it on _her_."

Kakashi's mind went blank and he found that he could not say anything.


End file.
